Biggles Takes a Holiday/plot
Chapter I: A Message from Over the Sea Biggles is summoned to the London Hospital for Tropical Diseases where a patient by the name of Linton has a message from their mutual friend Angus Mackail. Linton delivers a horrific account of how he and Angus had decided to invest in and settle at a farming community called Paradise Valley set in a remote part of the South American jungles. They soon realise that they have been duped. The conditions at the community were no better than slave labour. Many settlers had taken their complaints to the head of the community, a mysterious German named Dr Rodnitz Liebgarten but find that he is a man of many talents and is strangely able to mesmerise his audience into submitting. In any case the remoteness of the place simply prevented anymore from leaving. Nonetheless, Linton and Angus are determined to escape and seize their opportunity when they find an abandoned native canoe. Angus falls ill but insists that Linton proceed with the breakout attempt on his own. After a desparate journey through rivers, jungles and deserts, and with a poison arrow in his leg, Linton strikes a railway and makes it to the coast where a British ship takes him back to London. There he dies shortly after telling his story to Biggles. Biggles relates the tale to Algy, Ginger and Bertie and they decide that they must try to rescue Angus from the colony. Chapter II: First Objective The rescue mission must, of course, be unofficial and Biggles and co. are thus officially "on holiday". But Air Commodore Raymond does give his tacit approval and helps them obtain a suitable amphibian aircraft, a "Navigator". Biggles and friends head for South America. Chapter III: Paradise Valley From a base camp downriver, Algy flies Biggles and Ginger near to Paradise Valley where they continue their journey on foot. Entering the valley, they first meet Joe Clarke, a British settler who gives them more background information about the place but doesn't know Angus. Next Biggles and Ginger meet Pedro, Liebgarten's overseer, who is surprised to see them and rides off to warn his employer. Chapter IV: Strange Encounter Biggles and Ginger are taken to meet Liebgarten. The German tries his best to find out how Biggles learnt about Paradise Valley and how he got there but Biggles gives nothing away. Meanwhile, Pedro brings news that Angus can't be found. Chapter V: Section Twenty-Three Biggles tells Liebgarten he intends to go to Angus' allotment to wait for him. Liebgarten cannot prevent it so he details Pedro to take them there, although the true purpose is to keep an eye on them. Over at Angus' farm, named "Section Twenty-Three", Biggles finds a German bullet which Angus kept as a lucky charm was still there. Angus would not have bolted without it so he must still be around. Chapter VI: Tragic News Biggles tells Ginger to peel off and get news to Algy while he delays and distracts Pedro. The overseer, unhappy to lose track of one of his charges, brings Biggles back to Liebgarten who reports that Angus has been found dead. Chapter VII: Down the River Ginger makes it to the river. Along the cactus hedge which surrounds Liebgarten's house, he overheads a group of Germans, including Liebgarten, in conference. He learns that Liebgarten is not the top man--they talk about an Oberhaupt. Moreover, they mention one "Erich" who was due back that night. Ginger misses Algy, who has taken off for the base camp, and so he returns to Liebgarten's house. Chapter VIII: Disturbing Developments Liebgarten invites Biggles and Ginger to stay the night. He lays on rooms and baths--of course, while Biggles and Ginger are bathing, their guns are secretly removed. Biggles and Ginger meet Liebgarten again and this time, the "Erich" Ginger heard about has returned--none other than Biggles' arch enemy Erich von Stalhein. Chapter IX: Biggles Turns the Table Unarmed, Biggles and Ginger are at a disadvantage, but only for a while. Biggles chooses his seat by the lamp. He disconnects the flex and takes advantage of the darkness to seize Liebgarten's gun. Holding both von Stalhein and Liebgarten up, he orders Pedro to fetch Angus Mackail. He then tells Ginger to take Angus to Algy. Chapter X: The River of Doubt Ginger and Angus make their way down the river in a dinghy pursued by Lebgarten's launch and by Indians on the riverbank. Chapter XI: Biggles Speaks His Mind Meanwhile Biggles plays for time but is interrupted by the arrival of another man--whom he would later discover is the "oberhaupt", Dr Paul Stitzen. Biggles takes his leave. On his way out, he decides to explore the long bungalow that stands in Leibgarten's garden. It contains an armoury, a medical clinic and technical drafting workshops. He steals some technical blueprints and then hides in the attic when he hears people approaching. Chapter XII: The Coming of Algy Meanwhile, Ginger and Angus are picked up by Algy and Bertie. They decide to land upstream and look for Biggles. Chapter XIII: A Staggering Announcement Going ashore, Ginger and Bertie meet a colonist, Tom Brigham. He tells them to follow him because Biggles is gravely ill. Chapter XIV: Nature Takes a Hand What had happened was that Biggles, after coming down from the attic, had succeeded in holding Stitzen and von Stalhein up and locking them into a storeroom. He then went to the armoury and carried away a large quantity of rifles, pistols and ammunition which he then hid on the river bank. However he gets bitten by a tarantula. Faint and ill, he makes it to Joe Clarke's hut. Mrs Clarke looks after him while Joe and his friend Tom Brigham split up to try to look for Ginger. Chapter XV: The Mailed Fist Ginger and Bertie follow Tom to Joe Clarke's hut. They arrive just in time to see two guards try to drag the sick Biggles away. There is a scuffle and the two guards are shot dead. Chapter XVI: The Gathering of the Clans Biggles sends Joe and Tom to gather as many reliable colonists as they can find. He convinces them all that it is time to confront Stitzen and Liebgarten. He leads them to the riverbank to retrieve the weapons. Chapter XVII: Biggles Calls the Tune With a strong armed force, he then marches on Liebgarten's house and takes Stitzen, Liebgarten and all their associates prisoner. They are forced to repay each colonist the amount of money they had invested. Meanwhile Algy has been sent to Buenos Aires and returns with the British ambassador as well as several Argentine officials who take charge and place the Stitzen gang under arrest. The next morning Biggles learns that Stitzen had committed suicide and had burnt down the bungalow, killing several of his gang. Liebgarten and von Stalhein attempted to escape and made it to the river. Liebgarten was killed by a crocodile but of von Stalhein there was no trace. There being nothing left to do, Biggles and co. depart for home with Angus. Category:Plot summaries